Lin Blakley has joined the cast of Emmerdale taking over the role of Georgia Sharma, mother of Jai (Chris Bisson) and ex-wife of Rishi (Bhasker Patel).
The Sharmas are centre of a huge summer storyline that has seen Jai discover that Rishi is not his real father, leading to huge tensions between the pair ahead of Jai's upcoming wedding to Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy).
The soap has already revealed that Jai's cousin Suni (Brahmdeo Shannon Ramana) will be arriving in the village for the nuptials, and now Georgia is also confirmed to be back in order to "ruffle feathers" ahead of the big day.
The no-nonsense character was originally played by Trudie Goodwin between 2011 and 2015 but has now been recast with Blakley, who has previously played Pam Coker on EastEnders.
"We're thrilled to have an actor of Lin's calibre step into the role of the formidable Georgia," said producer Kate Brooks. "A force to be reckoned with, she'll have a secret for the Sharmas that could potentially blow their world apart."
Blakley added: "How lucky am I to play such a strong character as Georgia? So different from roles I've played of late.
"I have enjoyed every single minute. Gorgeous cast and crew!! And the gorgeous Dales. Thank you Emmerdale."
Georgia will be back on screens from next month.
Neil Wilkes
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